الحمد لله وحده، والصلوٰة والسلام على من لا نبي بعده۔
All praise is for Allah alone, and peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no Prophet.
Calling upon graves and considering them to be places where supplications are accepted is among the clear acts of shirk and innovations. Supplication itself is an act of worship, and worship is exclusively for Allah alone.
Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an:
﴿وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ﴾
Translation:
“And your Lord said: ‘Call upon Me; I will respond to you. Indeed, those who are too arrogant to worship Me will enter Hell humiliated.’”
However, some grave-venerating Sufis claim regarding the grave of Ma‘ruf al-Karkhi that supplications are accepted there. This statement is attributed from Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’ of Hafiz al-Dhahabi رحمه الله.
❖ The Reality of This Statement
They quote the following wording:
«وعن إبراهيم الحربي، قال: قبر معروف الترياق المجرب.»
— الذهبي، سير أعلام النبلاء (9/343)
Translation:
Ibrahim al-Harbi said: “The grave of Ma‘ruf is an experienced antidote.”
① Response: صيغة تمريض (Expression of Weak Attribution)
Hafiz al-Dhahabi رحمه الله نقل this statement in a suspended form using an expression indicating weakness (ṣīghat tamrīḍ), which implies that the report is not established and is weak.
According to the principles of the science of Hadith terminology, when a report is mentioned with expressions such as: يُذكر (it is mentioned), يُروى (it is narrated), قيل (it is said), it indicates weakness.
② Response: Al-Dhahabi’s Own Refutation
Immediately after mentioning this statement, Hafiz al-Dhahabi clarified and refuted this superstition, writing:
«بل دعاء المضطر مجاب في أي مكان اتفق.»
— الذهبي، سير أعلام النبلاء (9/344)
Translation:
“Rather, the supplication of the distressed person is answered wherever he may be.”
📌 This clearly shows that the acceptance of supplication is not dependent upon any grave. Rather, Allah answers the supplication of the distressed wherever he may be.
③ The Original Source and Chain of Transmission
Al-Dhahabi quoted this report from Tarikh Baghdad, whose chain is as follows:
«أخبرنا إسماعيل بن أحمد الحيري، قال: أخبرنا محمد بن الحسين السلمي، قال: سمعت أبا الحسن بن مقسم، يقول: سمعت أبا علي الصفار، يقول: سمعت إبراهيم الحربي، يقول: قبر معروف الترياق المجرب.»
— الخطيب البغدادي، تاريخ بغداد (1/122)
Translation:
Isma‘il ibn Ahmad al-Hiri informed us, he said: Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Sulami informed us, he said: I heard Abu al-Hasan ibn Muqsim saying, I heard Abu ‘Ali al-Saffar saying, I heard Ibrahim al-Harbi saying: “The grave of Ma‘ruf is an experienced antidote.”
📌 The central narrator in this chain is Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Sulami, who was infamous for fabricating narrations for the Sufis.
Jarḥ Upon the Central Narrator: Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami
The central narrator of this report is Muhammad ibn al-Husayn ibn Musa al-Naysaburi, Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami, who was known for fabricating narrations for the Sufis. The scholars of Hadith strongly criticized him.
① Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi (463 AH)
«كان أبو عبد الرحمن السلمي غير ثقة… وكان يضع للصوفية الأحاديث.»
Translation:
Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami was not trustworthy… and he used to fabricate hadiths for the Sufis.
② Hafiz al-Manawi (1031 AH)
«… والسلمي وضاع.»
Translation:
Al-Sulami was a fabricator.
③ Imam Ibn al-Jawzi (597 AH)
«… فذكر فيه العجب… بلا إسناد، وإنما حمله على مذهبهم.»
Translation:
He mentioned astonishing matters in it without chains of transmission, merely in support of their doctrine.
④ Ibn al-‘Ajmi (841 AH)
«… فيها موضوعات.»
Translation:
It contains fabricated narrations.
⑤ Imam Ibn al-Salah (643 AH)
«… فإن كان قد اعتقد أن ذلك تفسير فقد كفر.»
Translation:
If he believed that to be actual tafsir, then he committed disbelief.
⑥ Hafiz al-Dhahabi (748 AH)
«تكلموا فيه، وليس بعمدة.»
«كان يضع للصوفية الأحاديث.»
Translation:
The scholars spoke against him; he is not reliable.
He used to fabricate hadiths for the Sufis.
⑦ Abu Nasr al-Wa’ili al-Bakri (444 AH)
«… غير أنه ضعيف الحديث.»
Translation:
He was weak in hadith.
⑧ Imam al-Suyuti (911 AH)
«وكان يضع للصوفية الأحاديث.»
Translation:
He used to fabricate hadiths for the Sufis.
⑨ Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani (852 AH)
«… ممن يُتهم بالكذب، كأبي عبد الرحمن السلمي…»
Translation:
Among those accused of lying is Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami.
⑩ Mughaltay al-Hanafi (762 AH)
«هذا ضعيف لضعف السلمي.»
Translation:
This narration is weak due to the weakness of al-Sulami.
◈ Summary and Conclusion
The grave-venerating individuals rely upon a quoted statement in Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala’ of Hafiz al-Dhahabi regarding the grave of Ma‘ruf al-Karkhi.
✔ Al-Dhahabi mentioned it using an expression indicating weakness.
✔ He immediately refuted it by clarifying that the supplication of the distressed is accepted anywhere.
✔ The original chain in Tarikh Baghdad contains Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami.
✔ The scholars unanimously declared him weak, abandoned, and a fabricator.
✔ He used to fabricate narrations for the Sufis.
✔ His book Haqa’iq al-Tafsir contains baseless esoteric statements.
Therefore, the claim that supplications are accepted specifically at the grave of Ma‘ruf al-Karkhi is a fabricated report with no authentic or shar‘i basis.
✿ Central Point
Making graves a means of worship by supplicating at them is a clear innovation and shirk.
The narration presented as proof for this practice is a fabrication of the lying Sufi narrator al-Sulami.
